Knight junior Nick Anderson (62) is in on the play.

A very large Tyler County contention traveled to Williamstown on Friday night to support their Silver Knights as they took on the always physical Williams-town Yellow Jackets in the first high school football game of the 2013 season. Though the support was in full force, the Knights were unable to pocket the win, falling to the Maroon, 27-14.

Williamstown took advantage of inopportune miscues by the Knights to score 21 points in the first half of the game to put the Silver at a decided disadvantage.

The Knights trudged solidly down the field, eating up the clock in the first few minutes of the contest, but turned the ball over on downs before they found pay dirt. The first score of the game came with 4:44 to go in the first with a 10-yard pass into the end zone for the home team, followed by the extra point kick, putting Williamstown in the lead, 7-0.

In the second quarter, fumbles, turnovers and penalties continued to cost the Knights several opportunities which the Jackets capitalized on, adding two more touchdown’s to their score to put the home team in the lead, 21-0 at the break.

In the opening seconds of the second half, Williamstown padded their score with a 23-yard touchdown run.

Finally, with 4:21 to play in the fourth period, sophomore Jordan Baker ran eight yards into the end zone for the Silver Knight’s first score of the game. Baker also made good on the two-yard extra point conversion.

With the ball in their hands again with 2:42 to play in the game, senior Jacob Highley plowed his way seven yards downfield for another Knight score. Unfortunately, regulation time ran out before the Silver could cross the goal line again, giving them the loss in the season opener, 27-14.

“Our kids played hard, nobody needs to doubt that,” said first year head coach of Tyler Consolidated, Ryan Walton. “They came out confident and did what we wanted them to do, but we made too many mistakes.”

“Williamstown is a well coached team and they were ready. They capitalized on every mistake we made and we failed to capitalize on the mistakes they made.”

“When opportunity knocks we have to be able to take advantage of the situation and we didn’t do that.”

The Knights lost two of three fumbles and were penalized 12 times for 78 yards while Williamstown lost six of six fumbles and had 10 penalties costing them 60 yards.

Senior Josh Highley carried the ball 27 times in the game to gain 156 yards for the Silver and Black. Jordan Baker, rushed eight times to gain 34 yards; Skyler Leasure rushed four times for 22 yards; Josh Ruble had four carries to collect 17 yards; and Hogan Wells rushed once for two positive yards.

Senior quarterback Cole Kocher, completed one of four passes in the game for 26 yards; sophomore Jordan Baker completed two of four, for 33 yards

Swen Scheidemantel caught two passes to collect 48 yards in the game for the Knights and Chase Cooper caught one pass for 13 yards.

Defensively for the Knights, Chase Cooper was credited with four solo tackles; Kordell Stewart had four solo tackles and batted down a pass; Highley had three solo tackles and one assist; Ruble, three solo tackles one assist; Scheidemantel, two solo tackles, one assist, and caused a fumble; Troy Watson, two solo tackles, one assist; Kocher, one solo one assist; Leasure, one solo, one assist, and one fumble cause; Kyle Frum, batted down a pass; Hogan Wells, one solo, one fumble cause; Baker, one solo, two assists; Daron Weekley, one solo tackle; Austin Thompson, two assists.

“Again, the kids played hard,” Walton said. “And there was a lot of good things that happened in the game. Now we just have to regroup, correct our mistakes, and get on with the season.”

The Doddridge Bulldogs will make their way to Tyler County this Friday night, bringing what is sure to be another physical Class A battle right into the laps of the Knights.

It has been announced that any student wearing a Knight shirt to the game on Friday will only have to pay $2 for admission. Also, the Touchdown Club will hold tailgate festivities in the lower parking lot of the school starting at 5 p.m. The entire community is invited to bring their chairs and snacks and participate.

Game time is set for 7 p.m.